Improvement in earth-augers



l the spiral augerfpoint.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ALFRED W. MORGAN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPRovEMElNT IN EARTH-AUG'ERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,083, dated February 29, 1876; application ilel May 19, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED W. MORGAN, ot Indianapolis, Marion county, State of Indiana, have invented va new and useful Improvelnent in IVelLBoring Apparatus, of which the following is a specification: This invention lrelates to that class of apparatus designed for boring wells, in which the spiral point` of an auger is used, with a frame .attached and extending above the augerpoint, the frame-work bei-ng arranged so as to be lett open,asin boringin earth that willpack, or to be inclosed by side piecesl attached for boring in loose earth, quicksand, or mud, and to prevent the same from leaking back into the well as the auger and frame are drawn up. There is also an attachment called an enlarging-auger, with an adjustableapron above, y' .which is arranged to be secured to the cylinder of the auger and frame, which is designed to enlarge the hole abovethe augerpoint and to bring up the earth deposited on the apron thewhole devicebeing operated by a horse Vor other power, attached to a suitable device, such as a sweep, for the purpose of loosening the earth and raising the same from the well.l

The object is the construction and combination of the several parts claimed hereafter, and which are more or less `connected with other devices, some of which were granted to nie in my patent ot February 24, 1874, which are necessary to complete a` perfect working machine.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of the apparatus embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 represents details of the apron that is placed over the enlargingauger, and with which is attached to the frame above Fig. 3 represents a plan and side View ofthe. enlarging-auger. Fig. 4 are details of the seniieircle sides de signed to be attached to the frame -above the auger-point, to prevent quicksand, loose earth, or mud from leaking back as the earthis elevated to the top ot'thewell. Fig. 5 represents a detached view ot the spiral augerpoint with frame, and enlarging-auger with apron, secured to the cylinder. Fig. 6 is a detached view of the auger-point'and frame, showing theboring-shaft projecting below. Fig. 7 is a va wedge shaped sectional view ot' the lower part of the cylinder that slides on the boring-shaft, and to which the auger-point `is attached. Fig. 8 is an end 'view ofthe augerandfcylinder. Figs. 9 and l0 represent enlarged detail views of the point and plates as secured to the shaft, and the manner in which they prevent the cylinder from turning when in the positionas shown.'

A A represent the frame of the machine, and is placed over the place where the well is to be bored. the frame is a cap, A, through which, near the center,'is a hole in which works a anged sleeve, H, and above this sleeve is a washersleeve, G. These. two are provided withV a square h'ole through which the boring-shaft E works `up and down. p

The sleeve Gr is made long enough so th at the square sockets F F of the sweep B can rest upon it and revolve free from thecap A of the frame. The ends ot' the sockets F F' lit on the square boring-shaft E, and the other ends are secured to the sweep B, all of which can be elevated on the boring-shaft E by inea-ns of the rope C, which is secured to the sweep B near the square sockets F, anden,` tends upward over the sheave D, which is secured to` the upper end of the boringshaft E, and is then carried to the end ot the sweep .B and secureth By this arrangement thedepth. of thecut of the auger isregulated, 'by raising the sweep B as high above the sleeve G as is required for the auger to `enter the ground.

Immediately under the cap A is a clutchcoupling'with a square hole'in it for the boring' shat't E to work in. and is operated bythe forked lever lt'. This clutch-coupling and the one that it engages with-that is, in the drum L-is not shown, but is ofthe ordinary form of such couplings. The boring-shaft E passes through the sleeves H and G, and through the clutch-couplings y and drum L, andV has point, vwhich enters a wedgeshaped socket in the upper endot' the shaft S, and is secured by the key or pin U, under the sleeve T and collar T, with a co1- lar, T, above the sleeve T, which is also secured by the key or pin U.

On the top Qi' the uprights A ot' plates is a little longer than the other.

The Ashaft S extends downward through the cylinder y, and is provided at the bottoni with a dat steel plate, h, which is twisted into a spiral form and pointed so as to act as a bit and force its way into the ea-rth, and loosen the earth so that the diamond-shaped lips .fr ofthe auger will take hold of the earth freely. Immediately above the bit h, and extending up a short distance on each'side of the shaft S, are secured two plates, having the points wedge-shaped, as at m a, Fig. 6. One of these These plates enter into a socket in the bottom ofthe cylinder y, which is aso provided with recesses corresponding with those' on the shaft S, as shown in Fig. 7. y

This arrangement forms a clutch-coupling, when together. The wedge-shaped points on the plates m a allow the cylinder y, with the auger and frame attached, to always find its bearing when lowered onto the point of the f shaft S, and causes it to revolve when the shaft revolves. But when the auger and frame are raised, as in removing dirt from the well, then the clutch becomes separated, and the auger and frame will not revolve.

The auger-frame is secured to the auger at the bottom and to, a band at the top, and the whole arrangement is secured to the cylinder y. The two bars d are stationary, and the two bars d d are removable, and all of them have a cutting-edge on one side. The point ofthe auger is diamond-shaped, shown in Fig. 8. At the upper end of the auger-frame,

and attached to the cylinder 1, is a swivel, V', with a sleeve, V, working thereon. 0n

this'sleeve is pivoted the forked arm. V, which extends far enough to form a key by engaging with the side of the well, thus preventing the sleeve V from turning around. To the arm V is attached one end of a spring, c, the other end being attached to the arm b, that is at tached to the sleeve V", and gives a tension to the arm V, and holds it in contact with the side of the well.

To the forked arm V is Ialso attached a rope, O, which extends upward over the pulleysN N', and is secured to the drum L -all arranged so that when the auger becomes full of earth the lever R can be raised. This throws the clutch that is under the cap All into gear with the drum L, and, as the sweep B is revolved, the drum revolves, and the rope O is wound up, and the auger, with its load of earth, is drawn up the shaft S. After the earthhas been delivered the lever Ris lowered, and the clutch becomes disengaged from the drum. Then,by loosen- `ing the bra-ke M by means'of the lever K,

the auger will slide down the shaft S into the well again for a fresh supply, the drum L t revolving on a loose sleeve. The brake-lever R is held fast or loose by the rack P.

The rope O is attached to the windlass wf, and extends upward and over a pulley set by the side of pulley N, and then extends the earth.

downward, and is secured to the sleeve T. This arrangement is to give the operator full control of the auger-that is, by working the crank 0" he can graduate the speed of the auger in entering the-ground. If it feeds too fast he can hold it or let it run, as he pleases. He can also raise and lower the auger, to clean it from obstacles, and work them above the auger-point, if necessary.

The lever T' is hinged to the sleeve T, and extends out between theuprights of the frame, and prevents the sleeve T from turning around, and twisting the rope O around the shaft E.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarging-auger,which can be attached to the cylinder y, as shown in Fig. 5. t Above thisfis'secured the aprons r, Fig. 2, which are hooked into the enlarging-auger by the hook t entering the hole t', Fig. 3; and the hooku on the projecting arm of the apron, enters the hole c in the upright bar d of the frame of the auger. (Shown in Fig. 5.) There are two of these aprons a, one on each side of the auger-frame, and are designed to enlarge the well, and take out the earth that is deposited on the aprons. 'The aprons are so arranged that they will tip to one side, and dump the earth when above the ground.

Fig. 4 shows an end plan and side view of the semicircular side pieces W, used and attached to the sides of they frame of the auger while working in loose earth, quicksand, or mud, and these, together with the valve g', made of rubber, close all openings in the frame, so that the line earth, sand, and mud will not leak back into the well in elevating it to the top.

In raising the auger out of the well the pin U is drawn out from the shafts S and` E, and the shaft E is raised enough tov allow the wedge-shaped end to clear the wedgeshaped plates in the socket in the upper end.

of shaft S, and leave the shaft E free to revolve in the socket; and, as the auger with its load of earth comes up above the ground, then the pin U', that holds the collar T from rising, is removed, and the auger goes up, carrying the sleeve T collars T and T' with it, until the auger is sufficiently high to remove This 'is all accomplished without having to remove the shaft S from the well until finished.

While the auger is at work in the well, and boring its way downward, the bottom of the auger is well supplied with air that passes down the cylinder y, around the shaft S, and prevents any vacuum under the auger while boring, as when being elevated.

What I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The diamond-shaped lip m of the auger, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes set forth and described.

2. The combination of the frame d d d with the diamond-shaped lip m of the' anger In testimony whereofI have signed my name the point Inand cylinder i, constructed subto this speeieation in the presence of two stantially as set forth and described. subscribing Witnesses.

3. The plates m n, having wedge shaped Y points, in combination with the shaft S and ALF" MORGAN' correspondingshaped sockets in the bottom of Witnesses the cylinder y of the auger, constructed sub- W. T. RIPLEY, stantially as speoitied. GEO. F. DAVID. 

